Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Readers, Leslie is giving away an e-book story to a lucky commentor. Details are below.

Bio:
Leslie Soule lives in Sacramento, California. Fallenwood is her first fantasy novel. She has received her B.A. in English from Sacramento State University and is currently working on her Master’s degree in English at National University.

Please tell us about your current release.
Well, I’m here promoting my novel Fallenwood, a fantasy novel that’s been chosen to be the Read For A Cure book at Decadent Publishing for October. It’s a story I wrote over the course of three years, and it follows the journey of a girl named Ash, as she finds her way into a fantasy world called Fallenwood.

What inspired you to write this book?
A lot of things, really. The main thing was that when my stepfather died, I was a month from turning nineteen years old and it felt like my world had ended. Both my stepfather and I were really interested in fantasy novels, and I started writing as a way of coping, back then.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on writing the sequel to Fallenwood, bit by bit. I didn’t intend to write a sequel, but now that I’ve started, I feel like I can’t just leave it unfinished.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I really considered myself a “writer” once I got published, truthfully. Before then, I thought of writing as something I liked to do, but wouldn’t consider myself a writer. I don’t know why, it’s just that’s how my mind works, I guess.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I wish I could write full-time. I work for the State, and try to find time to write when I’m not doing master’s coursework. I find time to write because I like to write on my breaks and lunches.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have to write everything down physically and cannot write by just sitting at a computer.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer, a magician, an artist.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Yes – I love feedback, good or bad, so feel free to contact me!

Readers, Leslie is giving away one e-book copy of her paranormal story, "The Devil's Bidding", at every tour stop to randomly drawn commenters during the tour. So, follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Check out the tour dates and stop by other blogs to comment. But start here!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Today's guest is non-fiction writer Laura Rodela. She's touring her debut book Confessions with VBT Cafe all this month.

Bio:
Laura Rodela is originally from El Paso, TX and is currently residing in Fort Worth, TX. Laura is a proud mother of one daughter and enjoys writing, volunteer work, performing, and traveling. She is currently working on her second book.

Laura, welcome to Reviews and Interviews. Please tell us about your debut book.Confessions is a book of memoirs. The five ladies featured in the book embark on a journey of self discovery, self love, and self acceptance. It is about friendships that have lasted over fifteen years and how their unbreakable friendship took them on a ride of a lifetime.

What inspired you to write this book?
Putting my life out there for everyone to read about and hopefully learn from is what inspired me to write this book. I felt like I had a lot to share with other women who might be dealing with the same things and maybe in some way help them get through it. Accepting yourself can be a tough process and I have finally reached that point. I want to help others reach it too.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I am currently working on my second book which is about five women in different stages of their lives, but all have a few things in common. This book is about the hidden truths and the women's private and public personas.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I started working on Confessions I was not sure I could write a compelling story. A friend told me to write from my heart and just put it on paper. That was the best advice I ever received. I believe what makes someone a writer is having a passion for the pen. I am passionate about writing and continue to improve with each chapter I write. I didn't truly consider myself a writer until I finished my first book.

Do you write full-time? if so, what's your work day like? if not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I don't write full-time. I have a very demanding day job and lots of responsibility that comes with it. Please forgive me for not discussing what I do, but I do like to keep my career and my writing separate. I mostly write at night when I have time to be alone with my mind. I enjoy writing while sipping some hot tea and looking up at the stars. That is when I get most inspired.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don't write one chapter at a time. I skip chapters and write as I feel inspired. I could be working on chapter 1 and 7 at the same time. I can't seem to follow a pattern.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a lawyer. I love challenges and being a lawyer seemed the kind of job that provided excitement and challenge on daily basis. Unfortunately, I ended up doing something else. However, I do plan on applying for law school in a couple of years. It's never too late.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Follow your passions and never give up. I have learned a lot from writing my first book and that is helping me become a better writer. When I decided to write Confessions a lot of people doubted I could do it, but I believed in myself and that is something I am proud of.

Follow me on twitter @write_aholic. I enjoy talking to people so please drop a line. And if there is anything I can do to help you with your writing I am more than willing to do so.

Thanks for being here today, Laura. Thanks for stopping by as you tour!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Welcome, Gregory. Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up in Texas, but have been a ‘Yankee’ now for the past 24 years. I am the author of Well with My Soul and Proud Pants: An Unconventional Memoir. I’ve had short stories and poetry published in several anthologies and websites and I contribute articles and blogs to three different sites. I’ve been in the entertainment business for over twenty years as an actor, director, writer, and producer and I’ve had over ten shows that I’ve served as book writer and/or composer/lyricists produced on stage. I spent 13 years in Corporate America before going back into the arts ‘full time’ five years ago and now use both the creative side and business side of my brain as I manage an arts center on the campus of a college.

Please tell us about your current release, Well with My Soul.
Choices we make affect many people around us for years to come. What makes us go down certain paths towards those choices? Well with My Soul is about two brothers trying to find a peace in their individual lives over the course of 15 years, but both stay intertwined with the other as they leave their lives in Tennessee. Themes of addiction, religion, homosexuality, and pride play a huge part in this family drama. One is a liberal gay man who forsakes his family and moves to New York City from Tennessee to make his mark on the world. The other is a southern conservative who is left at home holding the proverbial family bag. The story follows their loosely intertwined lives through the wild times of the late seventies and the restraint of the Reagan years in which one brother ends up becoming a minister and preaching his doctrine while the other believes there are some things people are born with and not meant to change.

What inspired you to write this book?
The past several years, the US has been dealing with gay issues in headlines constantly. And many times it seemed as if what made those headlines was a closeted man (who was a loud proponent against any type of gay rights) caught in a scandal. I started to think about what causes these men to stay in the closet and how ego/pride plays such a prominent role in choices people make.

I was brought up Southern Baptist and writing a novel about religion and sexuality (set in the late 70s and 80s when our country was in a very different time) where I could show two sides to that story appealed to me. I enjoy taking readers to places they may not otherwise go and usually involve twists and turns they don’t always see coming. Stories of personal journeys always pull me in and I was inspired by telling this story from two different points of views (each brother) in different chapters.

What exciting story are you working on next?
My next story is a different genre all together with a female protagonist who works with her therapist to unlock a gruesome past from her childhood and travels across the country to patch her life back together. (Do I dare give it a genre and say ‘chick-lit with a mystery/romance thrown in’?)

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I started writing short stories and plays as a child, but actually had my first musical produced when I was 14. I continued writing musicals through high school and then went into the BMI Musical Theatre workshop when I moved to New York City and continued writing stage shows. About five years ago (when I wrote a play version of Well with My Soul), I knew then I wanted to expand the story into a novel. From there I went from playwright to novelist.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I went through a period the past several years of writing non-stop: every moment I could – I was writing. Submitting short stories to magazines and different genres of novels was pouring out of me. I worked with editors and got a few to a place to be able to submit those and then writing seemed to slow down. I try to blog every day (just to keep up my writing skills), but I manage an arts center on a college campus which keeps me very busy.

Nighttime is now full of promoting and marketing my debut novel (as well as a novelette memoir about my older brother who died at 34 years old that was released this past summer as an eBook). Authors sometimes don’t think in terms of how much promoting they need to do themselves to get their work out there, but it takes time and effort. I’m enjoying that process. I’m meeting so many other writers via social media and read other works – constantly! I find it important to read as much as I write. We can learn so much from reading what others are doing.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
That’s a tough one. I’m not sure if it’s a quirk…but I email myself all the time. Some writers carry a pad or a recorder to jot down notes. If I’m at my job during the day and a thought pops into my head, I send myself an email and then compile those emails into notes, into outlines, into narrative. Does that count as quirky or just anal retentive?

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An actor. I moved to NYC to be on Broadway. (Didn’t happen.) I did tour the country as a teenage mutant ninja turtle though in the late 80s/early 90s.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I hope that people will accept authors that do not fall into a specific genre. I sometimes wish I could say “I write speculative fiction” or “vampire novels”. I was worried when writing Well with My Soul people would classify it as gay fiction and put me into a box. As mentioned, my first published work was a non-fiction memoir, the other I talked about above and I also have a children’s book floating around out there. One friend of mine said the common theme of my writing is the unexpected. My stage shows or my novels.

I don’t think I always play by the rules and write a protagonist that everyone can love or let the guy always ‘get the girl’. I think authors should be given the chance to try many things and just perhaps in the process, readers will find something they can identify with, enjoy, and give another ‘genre’ from that author a try.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

John, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a small town boy. I grew up in Yankton, South Dakota, the last upstream steamboat stop on the Missouri River. Yankton’s history reaches back to the Sioux Nation, from which the town draws its name. Lewis and Clark parlayed with the Lakota there. Decades later, it became a jumping off point for homesteaders, a campsite for Custer, a territorial capital, and in the 1920s, the home to WNAX radio that once boasted it broadcast from the highest radio tower in the world. Huckleberry Finn would have felt right at home under the shade of the Hackberry and Elm trees.

My own family’s history is intimately tied to the history of South Dakota. My grandfather, John Hubert Hohn homesteaded, north and west of Yankton, staking out 360 acres that remains in the family today.

I have been writing all of my life. I first published at age 10 in the nationally circulated Pilot magazine, which was distributed by a children’s clothing manufacturer with a traffic signal icon. The concluding couplet to my winning verse: “You are always trying these foolish acts. When will you learn to trust known facts?” (That’s from memory-so be impressed.) When I was in the seventh grade, I placed first in a nationwide contest sponsored by “G. I. Joe” comics. In less than 25 words, I told the world why I wanted to be like G. I. Joe. My prize was a five-year subscription, an award I outgrew within a year of accepting it.

I graduated with a degree in English in 1961 and began teaching that same year at St. John’s Prep School.

I enjoy working out at the local gym, walking my dog Jessie, golf, music, touring Civil War battlefields, and reading history. Since retiring, I have focused completing my novel, Deadly Portfolio: A Killing Hedge Funds. I have been very gratified by the acceptance and reviews the book has received and spend what idle minutes come my way every day thinking though the plot for my next book.

Please tell us about your current release.Deadly Portfolio: A Killing in Hedge Funds is a financial thriller mystery. The story centers around four families who reside in the affluent lakeside neighborhood of Pelican Bay on Heron Lake, North Carolina. The story takes place over the first several days of July in 2008, on the eve of the stock market collapse. Financial Advisor Morrie Clay and his wife Monica, with their two sons, are the youngest family in the immediate vicinity. Morrie, seduced by his company’s competitive compensation system, executes an unauthorized trade in a client’s account by purchasing a large block of shares in a hedge fund. If the trade is every discovered, Morrie will lose his credentials and will not be able to support his family’s sumptuous lifestyle. His breach of the rules sets off a chain of events that eventually leads to the death of three of his neighbors, the first victim being Rene McAllister, the wife multi-millionaire Alan “Mac” McAllister. Her body washes up on the beach after a daylong Fourth of July bash at the home of stockbroker, Matthew Wirth, Morrie Clay’s senior partner. Matthew’s wife Shirley discovers the body. Matthew and Shirley, as a result, come under investigation.

Authorities ultimately dismiss the McAllister woman’s death as an accident. But days later, when the body of college drop out, Jamie Sherman, a neighbor to Wirth, is discovered adrift in his fishing skiff, investigators suspect foul play. The eventual findings on youth’s death, however, establish drug overdose as the cause. Only Detective James Raker, upon hearing McAllister’s complaints of unauthorized trading in his deceased wife’s account, suspects the two deaths are related. Raker quickly discovers that at least four members of the affluent community had motive and opportunity in either one or both of the deaths. Pursuing his case, he runs afoul of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) who were closing in on Jamie Sherman’s drug dealings and Raker is ordered to back off.

In a clash with his boss and the lead detective from the SBI, Raker is given 72 hours to makes his case or close. Convinced that at least one more life is at risk, Raker races to prevent the killer from striking again.

What inspired you to write this book?
The inspiration for the book occurred in the months leading up to my retirement. I was very proud of what I had accomplished as a financial adviser at Merrill Lynch. I had built a solid team with three wonderful people (very much like Matthew Wirth and Morrie Clay in the novel), and our reputation drew clients to us.

My career, prior to joining Merrill Lynch, was a patchwork of notable achievements that were almost immediately followed by dismal failures. At age 43, I was divorced for a second time, out of a job and deeply in debt. My first wife, my high school sweetheart, and I were married 19 years. She died 9 years after our divorce. My children were in college at the time and looking to me to provide a home base for them as their surviving parent. In the book, Matthew Wirth stands on his dock the morning of the Fourth of July reflecting on is good fortune. His reverie came right out of my own experience.

Thus the thought of something going very wrong in the waning weeks leading up to my retirement was frightening. Many of the situations that are presented in the novel parallel events that happened while I was working in my practice. I found it is easy, for example, to round out the character of Rene McAllister because I had a client whose personality resembled hers.

The despair and terror that Matthew Wirth experiences when he finds out about Morrie Clay’s illegal and unethical behavior mirrors what mine would have been if, on the threshold of finally retiring, my efforts over 16 years were brought down and I faced professional disgrace and the loss of my retirement savings.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Critical acceptance of Deadly Portfolio has been gratifying. I have started work on a sequel that I hope to complete by this time next year. Detective Raker came across as a real favorite with readers, and I want to capitalize on his appeal. The new story is based again on a lakeside community, but this time the lake is nothing more than a millpond in the mountains of North Carolina. The entire setting is a development that was planned and marketed to scores of unsuspecting investors, many who bought site-unseen, in the 1970’s. Most of the lots are too small to qualify under county ordinance for a building of any kind. In addition, many are on terrain that is not suitable for building. Three organizations, however, recognize the lucrative long term prospects for acquiring the land from the disenchanted buyers, consolidating the smaller lots into larger plots, and remarketing the entire area as an upscale second home development with a golf course, trout stream and other amenities.
In the competition to motivate owners to sell their properties, a rumor is started that the rolled earth impoundment, a century old structure, is weakening and may give way. If the dam gives way, land values will collapse. The hubbub catches the attention of the authorities who insist on an inspection of the dam.

Detective James Raker happens to be visiting a friend over the weekend the state inspector is killed by a stray bullet from an unknown party. Coincidently, he is later assigned to assist the local sheriff in stopping the trafficking of meth from a Southern States textile finishing plant in the same area. Raker is drawn into the investigation of the inspector’s death as well as others that appear at first to be unrelated fatal accidents.

I am perhaps a third of the way through my first draft. Typically, I will need at least three rewrites. I need to begin a search for a good story editor.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I remember returning home from school one day and telling my parents that I had met a boy whose index finger had been cut off in an accident. “The stub looked just like a closed tulip bulb before it opens in the spring,” I reported.

My dad’s reaction is still very fresh in mind, “He has a real way with words.”

I have been writing all of my life. My first recognition was first prize for a short verse in Pilot magazine while I was in elementary school. I wrote short stories on colored tablets about going fishing with my dad, or hunting, or working in the yard. I would read them to my mother who was always supportive.

Most of my writing over the years has been poetry. I published as short volume of poetry in 2000 entitled As I Was Passing By. I have written short stories over the years also. The shorter pieces—poetry and fiction—were easier to work on while my job demanded so much of my most productive time each day. When I retired at the end of 2007, I dedicated myself to writing my novel, which has been an aspiration since high school.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I don’t think that any writer today can claim that he or she writes full time. Once an author has a book out in the market place, an enormous chunk of time needs to be dedicated each week to promoting it. I organize on a weekly basis because my days are so varied. I have four major writing days—Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Every day begins with my dog Jessie as the two of us take a 30-minute walk. My writing days are also my gym days. I want 30 minutes of aerobics and some tension raining. It’s a big thing with me given the health history of my family. Writing time is roughly 9:30 a.m. to noon and perhaps an hour or two in the afternoon depending on other priorities—honey-dos, paying bills, and the like. Every afternoon, Jessie and I head out for another tour of the neighborhood taking, perhaps, as much as 45 minutes.

Tuesday, Thursdays, and Saturdays are golf days. I enjoy the game—most of the time. I enjoy my friends every day. These are days for catching up also with correspondence, calling children, writing letters and working on the promotional stuff that needs to be completed.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I have two or three quirks, as a writer, which I find are downright annoying. First, I always overwrite. I can’t seem to help it. I load up a sentence with modifying clauses that are completely unnecessary. A reader may find evidence of that trait in my responses to this interview. I tend not to give my reader enough credit. I always need to go back into my text and make the writer in me let go of the reader’s hand and stop leading the way. The writer in me believes more is better. The editor in me believes less is more. The two never seem to get together on anything.

Another annoying trait is that I never seem able to keep something short. Look at the answers to this interview as an example. Give me a request to write an article 700 to 900 words in length, and I will work an additional two hours to get it to come out exactly to 900 words. Boy, am I glad Word keeps the count for me.

Additionally, I love starting a piece. I keep coming up with opening lines and paragraphs all of the time—in the shower, walking Jessie, dozing off. I have no idea where the piece is going, but I am excited by the initial few lines. Sometimes I will write an idea down. I have dozens of starting paragraphs littering the memory of my computer.

Finally, I can’t resist checking out why Word underlines what I have put on the page to report that the program is having a problem with the text. I must stop. I know that the rules are bogus sometimes, but something in me keeps me from ignoring the underline.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to go to sea. I loved reading about the sailing ships and pirates. Growing up in the Midwest, I had never seen an ocean. But somehow being a sailor appealed to me. As I grew older, I wanted to become a doctor. I felt destined for it. My first year in college, however, was my undoing. I could not hack the sciences. I might have been bright enough to get passing grades, but I just could not get interested. My intellectual life was being taken over by my literature and history classes. There was no turning back.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
This may seem a bit self-indulgent but there are two things that I would like my readers to know as much about themselves as about me.

First, as Winston Churchill said, “Never give up.” There were so many times in my life where it would have been completely understandable that I would give up on my aspiration to be an author and a published poet. I know others managed the achievement despite circumstances much more difficult than mine, but I inherited some priorities that took more energy to fight than to follow as a boy from a middle-class home. Writing played a very important second chair position in the orchestration of every day life for me. I would say to anyone who harbors the desire to do something that promises to be self-fulfilling, then he or she should never let go.

Second, everyone needs to come up with his or her own definition of success. My book is a mystery, yes, but I want it to be a literary success above all. If it sold 100,000 copies but was dismissed as mediocre literature, I would consider it a failure.

No matter what the field, if you don’t know where you want to go, any road will get you there. Worse yet, you will never have the satisfaction of knowing how close you came to achieving your heart’s desire.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Today is a special treat. I have writer/creator Ron Gavalik from Grit City Publications here to tell us about the Grit City serial emotobook.

Ron, please tell us a bit about yourself.
I’ve dedicated my life to the written word and spent the past 20 years of my career in fiction writing, journalism, and technical documentation. I’ve been privileged to see my short fiction appear in several magazines and online venues. During my journalism years several of my news articles have informed thousands of readers throughout the United States.

I conceived the new medium of emotobooks in 2010 while earning an MA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. Grit City is the maiden serialized story, and is receiving accolades among a large and diverse base of readers throughout the US, UK, and Germany.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, I spend much of my free time in the outdoors of southwestern Pennsylvania. There’s a lot to be said for the serenity of fishing, hiking, and riding a trail bike. My twisted mind needs a break here and there.

Please tell us how Grit City came about.Grit City is a story idea that brewed for about 10 years, before I decided to put fingers to the keyboard. It was originally a mystery story, but I always felt it lacked a certain punch, but was never sure how to complete the idea. I stashed my notes away for a long time and moved on with life. During my time in the fiction writing MA program at Seton Hill University I wrote a thesis novel called The Trinity, which contained mystical urban fantasy elements. As it turned out, those kinds of elements were missing from Grit City. It’s then I knew what I had to do: apply the metaphysical to a modern noir tale. Its success tells me it was the right decision.

What can readers look forward to with Grit City?
Grit City is continuing story, published each month to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and other eBook retailers. In each installment the reader is exposed to a dark and calamitous world, where the nefarious rule.

Our main character is Dillon Galway, an idealistic freelance journalist in his mid-twenties, who barely scrapes out a living reporting on corruption for the metro newspaper and his own blog.

Dillon embodies a double meaning of the term grit. He is a gritty individual, who drinks and lives meagerly. But he also possesses grit. Courage and strength of character are his dominant personality traits.
I’ve constructed a world where Dillon shares a symbiotic relationship with the city. Its failures have lowered him, yet he remains hopeful for the restoration of peace and opportunity. Occasionally, he relies on the sexy and sultry Alyssa Stephano (gun for hire) to help when situations require her nickel-plated Colt .45 revolvers.

As the series progresses Dillon’s faced with unfathomed challenges, but also gains abilities most consider impossible.

Please tell us about emotobooks. What are they?
An emotobook is a short, fast read that’s consumed like any other eBook. But we inject abstract imagery, emotional representations of what the characters feel and experience during peak moments of tension. These expressionistic elements provide both cerebral and visual stimulation, which enhance the impact of each story installment. By delivering a visual of what the character feels and experiences, the reader becomes more intensely immersed in the story. To learn more, we encourage you to visit the Grit City website.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I started writing seriously shortly before my twenty-first birthday. As a kid I had little use for books. It wasn’t until I went to college my first time (for engineering design) that I matured and found a love in reading. Shortly after I decided that my goal in life was to shape the world through the written word. It’s probably that kind of ambition that drove me to innovate a new medium of fiction that’s resonating with a wide and diverse audience.

What exciting storylines are you working on next?
Before I consider future storylines, it’s the mission of our team at Grit City Publications to publish the best modern genre fiction from both new and experienced writers in our new emotobooks medium. We’re currently reviewing queries for long-term serials like Grit City in a number of genres, such as horror, fantasy, science fiction, and yes, even romance and erotica.

Once our catalog is filled with successful authors I’ll step back and continue writing. The Grit City series could easily continue for two more seasons, but it’s a goal of mine to revisit The Trinity and rewrite it into the strongest possible emotobook story.

How does someone become an emotobook writer?
Read the free How to Write Emotobooks Handbook. Our team wrote this comprehensive manual to teach experienced writers the intricacies of crafting an emotobook series. It’s our goal to build an interactive community of authors, illustrators, and editors that will work together in crafting the best possible stories, but also introduce each title to the reading public in a dynamic manner.

We also require writers to read Grit City to gain an understanding of the medium. Once a writer fully understands the method to our madness we encourage them to email query letters for long-term or short-term emotobook serials. Short story submissions can be emailed without a query letter.

Thank you for your time and for sharing so much about the writing of Grit City. You've given the readers a lot to think about.

Monday, October 17, 2011

A bit of backstory on her book:
Linda Burhan's book is filled with humor and heartfelt inspiration to aide anyone facing the challenge of caring for a loved one at the end of life. Her story offers us hope for human strength and understanding of weaknesses during a difficult time.

From the altar of God's House, the monsignor proclaimed, "Jo McCauley was a force of nature!" And she was. She was a breeze that brought laughter to everyone she met. She was a whirlwind of a volunteer and mother. She was the wind that carried her daughters and son forward on a life of love.

But dying and death are also forces of nature, and will not be denied. Linda's book draws us along an unexpected path ...

Linda, welcome to Reviews and Interviews. Please tell us a little bit about your Good Night and God Bless.The book is a humorous and heartfelt story of my mother’s last 18 months of life to inspire and assist anyone with the challenge of being the caregiver to a loved one. My book offers hope for the understanding of human strengths and weaknesses experienced during a very difficult time.

What inspired you to write this book?
My mother – her humor, love

What story are you working on next?The Stories of the Caregivers

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
About 10 years old. People have been asking me to write books for years

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
When I was out promoting my book… every single time, people would come up to me crying and looking for help. As a result I have become a caregiver advocate. I facilitate support groups and workshops for family caregivers. One of the most popular recent ones is Journaling through Your Caregiving Experience.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Today's guest is on a virtual book tour through Goddess Fish Promotions. KC Klein is here to talk about her debut release, Dark Future, among other things.

KC is giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one commenter at the end of the tour, and an e-book copy of her book to one commenter at EVERY stop. Details are below.

KC, welcome to Reviews and Interviews.
Thank you, Lisa, for inviting me to your blog. I’m really excited to be here and love the opportunity to connect with readers. Readers, for a chance to win an eBook of my debut novel, Dark Future, just say hi below.

KC, please tell us a little bit about Dark Future.
My book is a sci-fi, dystopian romance. It’s hot. It’s sexy. And I had a ton of fun writing it.

What inspired you to write this book?
It’s the same thing that inspires all my writing—characters. I wanted to create a world where my hardened, untrusting hero could be himself without being hated. So I had to create a world just as cold and gritty as he was. Of course, I needed to make things tough for him, so my heroine needed to be just as independent, but also someone who loves a more pampered lifestyle—French manicures, specialty coffee, and Egyptian cotton sheets. How do I make these two characters exist in the same world? Simple, I had the heroine be sent from our time to my hero’s world of the future. Isn’t fiction grand?

What exciting story are you working on next?
Next for me is an anthology that I am writing with two other talented authors—Erin Kellison, who writes the Shadow Series, and Jessa Slade who writes the Marked Souls series. We have decided it is going to be (in Jessa’s words) a “sci-fi bodice ripper.” When I heard the description I couldn’t wait to get on board. Our goal is to write some really sexy, fun stories that give readers a peek into the different sides of us.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I realized I would rather write then do just about anything else, including reading. Which is saying a lot because I LOVE to read.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Ahh, every writer’s dream—to write full-time. I can only wish that one day I will be that fortunate. But really, until I get there, my schedule is still pretty conducive to writing. I work two days a week outside the home. My kids are in full-day school, so on my writing days I get up, work-out, and write for about five hours. After picking up the kids from school, my computer is put away for the day. Sometimes if I am lucky I can sneak it back out after they go to bed, but that’s a bonus if it happens.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t think it’s that interesting, but my critique partner is forever saying that my quirk is very weird. I write all my books long hand. Yes, as in paper and pencil. I get a new notebook for each book and try to write seven pages a day. Then I transfer them into the computer and edit from there. And yes, the mystery as to why I am such a slow writer is solved.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I really wish I could answer this question with a bit more flare. Maybe I could lie and say that I always had a dream of being a concert pianist or a prima ballerina, but the truth is from the first Judy Blume book, Super Fudge, I read at age seven, I wanted to be a writer.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Just that I hope readers find my book as enjoyable to read as I did to write. I always love to hear from fans, what they are reading, what they like, and what they want to see more of. I’m on Facebook and Twitter and love to be distracted from housework. People can also learn more about me at my website and blog.

KC, thank you for being here today. Happy writing!

Readers, KC is giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift certificate to one commenter at the end of the tour, and an e-book copy of her book to one commenter at EVERY stop. So, follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning something.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Today at Reviews and Interviews is children's author Joanne Lécuyer to talk about her writing and her newest book, Kaptain Vamp.

Bio:
Children’s book author, Joanne Lécuyer, has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Visual Arts from the University of Ottawa and a Diploma in Public Administration from the University of Quebec. She is also a Professional and Personal Coach and Reiki Master. Joanne has worked for the Canadian federal government for over 25 years, with the last 15 years in strategic and organizational communications to help management and employees communicate better. Joanne was born in Timmins, Ontario, Canada but spent most of her life in North Bay, Ontario. She lives in a small rural community near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada with her husband Rick, their dog Kato and their two cats, Black Magic and Minx.

Welcome, Joanne. Please tell us about your current release.Kaptain Vamp is my second children’s book. The story is about a young vampire named Allistaire, who is also part human, who wants to change the fact that humans are afraid and distrustful of vampires. His family has been living among humans for hundreds of years and they’ve always used their abilities for good. One day, while reading his favourite superhero comic, Allistaire decides that he’s going to do everything he can to help humans. He enlists the aid of his best friend Rich to help him become Kaptain Vamp.

What inspired you to write this book?
Since vampires have been the rage for adults for the last few years, I thought it would be fun to write a story about them for kids. I liked the challenge of taking this theme and making it positive. I didn’t want to give the kids nightmares. Also, I thought a vampire-human superhero would make a good story.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on a few stories, but I think the next one will be about a fairy. I’ve also got outlines for sequels to my first book The Witch, the Cat and the Egg and Kaptain Vamp for 2012.

I’m also experimenting with other writing mediums. I’ll soon have one or two new comic strips that will be available only on the website. Readers will be able to vote for the one they prefer and I’ll either continue with as a comic or turn the story into a future book.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Before I published my first book The Witch, the Cat and the Egg in 2010, I didn’t really consider myself a writer even though I do a lot of writing in my full-time job. Now with my second book, and others in the works, I’m starting to call myself a writer. Whether I can call myself a good writer is up to my readers.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I have a full time job with the Canadian federal government, which keeps me pretty busy during the day and week. So, I usually work on my books and the website, during the evenings and weekends. I also get some of my ideas in the early morning, during my bus commute to work.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I’m not sure if it’s a writing quirk, but I like to read the stories to my husband, at various stages of development. He’s a great sounding board. When I have a good draft, I also give it to some test readers – friends and familly. For me it’s important to get feedback. It helps me to know if I’m on the right track and when I need to make some changes.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I don’t remember wanting to do anything specific. However, when I was a child, I’m told that I was always walking around with a pencil and paper in my hands. As a teenager, I really liked to reproduce and draw images from various books and posters, especially fantasy.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
When I started writing stories for children, I decided that I would write the kinds of books that leave my readers feeling good and wanting more; that also leave them with a smile on their faces. The type of book that you can read kids before they go to bed that will help them have good dreams! That’s what Topsy Books is all about. My personal motto is “Dare to imagine and believe in the magic of possibilities!” I hope that new readers will make Topsy Books part of their reading collection.

Readers can connect with me through my website (www.topsybooks.com), Facebook (Topsy Books), and on Twitter (@JoTopsyBooks).

Thanks for being here today, Joanne. I hope the muse keeps inspiring you.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Today, I'd like to welcome children's author Robert A. Hastings to Reviews and Interviews.

Bio:
Robert describes himself as a country boy/lost sailor who is living in the burbs of SoCal. Robert grew up in rural Pennsylvania where he developed a strong appreciation for the land, nature and our responsibility to protect. Most of this came from his grandfather and his mother. He was a 28 year career navy man who experienced the best and worst of man and has tried to inject some of those experiences into his work. Robert is a graduate of the University of La Verne with a degree in Health Services Management.

Robert is a newly published children's author, The Blue Kangaroo (It’s Nice to be Different) and The Spirit Wolf (Life is a Never Ending Lesson). Both books are available through createspace and amazon. He is also a published poet. Robert is a wildlife artist who works primarily in watercolor and ink, he did all of the illustrations for his children’s books.

Robert is quick to tell you that he is passionate about his wife, children, grandchildren, extended family, our country and life! He writes because it provides another avenue for artist expression and the opportunity to inject his paintings into the stories and to share his books and art with a wider audience. Robert hopes through his children's books to encourage children to read and broaden their horizons and to look beyond today.

Welcome, Robert, please tell us about your current release.The Blue Kangaroo was originally written for my granddaughters when they were young. I rewrote the book last year placing my grandsons and daughter in the book changing the story slightly. The book is written for a younger audience and a book that parents can share with their children and explain that are always differences. I think the one important lesson is that we are each different and that is what makes us unique and special. The strength of love and family help each of us cope and find our way.

What inspired you to write this book?
Initially my granddaughters and then my grandsons inspired me. Their differences and individual strengths and weaknesses provided a map and The Blue Kangaroo came to me maybe ten or twelve years ago. I believed I could tell the story through words and pictures. I am pretty good a visualizing how the individual pictures can lend themselves to the story.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I have completed and published The Spirit Wolf (Life is a Never Ending Lesson) which is designed to be a series. This is a story of a wolf pack before man and machines and the place Sar, a white wolf, has in the pack as a teacher.

I have also completed the follow-on to this book.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’m not sure that I consider myself a writer, I’ll leave that to you and others to decide. I have always written poetry. I wrote seven fictional short stories about Navy Corpsmen in the Viet Nam War which I never had published. I wrote those stories for me. I knew over the last thirty years that I could link stories to my paintings, I have always been able to the finished product before I start.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
For the last year, I've written most of the time or am getting ready to write. I will write in my head as I complete a painting or as I write I will see a painting that should be inserted at a certain place in the story.

I get up early in the morning, have my tea, glance at the paper, or listen to the news and then I go upstairs to my office, check my e-mail, and then bring up the current book I'm working on. I will do a reread and maybe change the format, check the flow, and then continue on. When I am writing, it will consume my day unless I’m pulled away.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I play solitaire on the computer and maybe mahjong for a game or two.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A pilot or a doctor. I became a Navy Independent Duty Corpsman, we were assigned where there were no doctors.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I have found that I love to write and I will have two or three books going on in my head at the same time, but I have learned my art lends itself to my stories and my stories to my art.

Bio:
Stephen L. Brayton owns and operates Brayton’s Black Belt Academy in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is a Fifth Degree Black Belt and certified instructor in The American Taekwondo Association.

He began writing as a child; his first short story concerned a true incident about his reactions to discipline. During high school, he wrote for the school newspaper and was a photographer for the yearbook. For a Mass Media class, he wrote and edited a video project.

In college, he began a personal journal for a writing class; said journal is ongoing. He was also a reporter for the college newspaper.

During his early twenties, while working for a Kewanee, Illinois radio station, he wrote a fantasy based story and a trilogy for a comic book.

He has written numerous short stories both horror and mystery. He has also written a paranormal mystery, entitled Night Shadows. Sequels to Nights Shadows and Beta are in rewrite/revision stages.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Stephen. Please tell us about your newest release.
Well, tomorrow is my 45th birthday. What? Not a worthwhile release? Oh, you mean the book.

Mallory Petersen is a Fourth Degree Black Belt who owns a school in Des Moines, Iowa. She is also a private investigator whose cases and clients usually come from the nuttier side of life. However, when she is hired to find a kidnapped eight year old girl, she soon discovers people involved with a child pornography ring. Using her investigative skills and her honed martial arts skills, she follows a trail around Iowa’s capital, to south central Iowa, and finally to the Quad Cities.

The subject matter being what it is, this book is not for children. However, I have tempered the serious nature with some humorous scenes.

What inspired you to write this book?
The fact my first book wasn’t going so well and I hadn’t learned enough to make the needed corrections.

The short but true answer is, I don’t really know. Maybe I heard something on the radio or read something in a magazine, but the idea hit me and the pieces started falling into place. I had the main character and a few supporting characters from the first story, so I didn’t have to start from scratch on character profiles and development.

What’s the next writing project?
I’m going to write a letter to several scientists to encourage them to find a way to extend the summer months through December because I’m really not looking forward to another Iowa winter.

Actually, I resurrected the first story, the 40,000 word pile of mush, took the main plot, added a sub-plot, a few more characters, ditched the stupid scenes, and rewrote it. I’m also working on another with a private investigator who just can’t figure out the modern technological world.

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
I have two challenges. First: The editing. Numerous re-writes and corrections drive me crazy. I love having people critique the story, though, because I get to hear suggestions and ways to improve the story. While down in Nashville in August, I talked out a story problem with a friend and she gave me some great suggestions. Now I just have to arrange them and add them to the story.

Second: Getting people to leave me alone so that I can find time to write. Usually threatening arson on their cars does the trick.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
When I have the time, I like to do a research on future stories, but usually I research while I write. I’ll write the book ad leave blanks needing more information. I know what goes into the gaps but I have to make time to travel to the places I want to use to get proper descriptions. If I use actual sites, I’ll visit them to get a better sense of the neighborhood, the atmosphere, and to see if I need to change a few details to make it interesting.

Plus, by visiting places, I may come up with a completely different idea for the scene. For instance while doing research for Beta’s sequel I visited a venue usually reserved for concerts and inadvertently crashed a birthday party for a Mexican teenage girl. I’m wearing shorts, a polo shirt, and sneakers, while everybody around me is dressed in beautiful dresses and handsome western wear. I managed to get the needed information, but afterwards, though, I saw Mallory in the same circumstances. I had found a really good scene to include in the next story.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
Lounging under an umbrella on my private beach with an awesome view of the Pacific while beautiful women feed me little snacks and drinks and massage my feet… Oh, sorry, just indulging in a little fantasy.

Seriously, although I’ll head out to the park sometimes, usually, my actual writing space is a low lit motel lobby in the middle of the night. I’ve completed my employment duties, everybody is snoring in their beds, and I have the NPR station emitting classical music. I can concentrate and really get into the story…right up until some late night drunk staggers in wanting a room. Arg!

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
Whoever wrote the choices on the seafood restaurant menu is to be admired.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
Brush and floss twice a day and make sure you use a sunscreen with a high spf number.

Actually, I want to thank you for allowing me my little spot here on your site. I also hope people will buy Beta and let me know what you think of it. If you don’t like, tell me. As long as you’re nice about it, I’ll respect your opinion and hope you’ll read the next one. If you do like it, tell me, then tell your friends.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Today's guest is doing a virtual book tour through the VBT Cafe. Author Ryan Collings is here to chat about his debut fantasty release, Jack Ranis and the Book of the Labi.

Bio:
Ryan Collings lives in Boise, Idaho with his two children Kaylee and Kasin, his dog Stewie, his cat Rosebud, and the love of his life, Brooke.

Welcome to Reviews and Interviews, Ryan. Please tell us about your current release.Jack Ranis and the Book of the Labi is fantasy novel, aimed at teen and young adult readers. The book follows Jack Ranis, an orphan who is confused about his life. He discovers that where he comes from is far from ordinary. After a near death accident, he meets a man connected to his past, who sends him to a world beyond anything he had ever imagined.

With the help from friends he meets along the way, he travels to destroy an ancient relic that threatens to destroy everything that he has come to know and love.

What inspired you to write this book?
A couple of years ago, I had just finished reading a book. I sat there a moment reflecting back on it. It occurred to me that I could write a novel just as good, if not better. The next day, I was at a coffee shop with my computer.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Currently, I am working on the second book in the Jack Ranis series. It picks up right were the first book leaves off, with action packed adventure from page one. I have also recently begun creating the story line for a new fantasy series. I hope to have both out early next year.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
Growing up, I never liked to write. If you had told me three years ago that I would have a book out, and plans to write several more, I would have laughed at you. Even while writing the first Jack Ranis book, I never thought of myself as a writer. The first time I ever felt like a real writer, was the day my first printed proof showed up in the mail. Even though my book was available as an eBook over a month before it went to print.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do not write full time, although I would love to. At my day job, I am an Executive Chef. I try to put in as many hours as I can on writing, but at times finding the time is challenging while juggling work and family.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
As embarrassing as it is to admit, there were several when having trouble writing a combat scene, I would have sword fights with my son to come up with ideas.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Like most children, it would have depended on what day you asked me. I didn’t play a lot of sports as a child, so professional athlete was never really on the list. My mom was a teacher, so I think that most often that is what I wanted to do. Movies often played a role (and still do) in what I wanted to be. If I watched a midlevel movie, I wanted to be a knight. If there were cops, I wanted to be a cop. Writer and Chef however, I don’t ever remember. It’s funny the way things work out.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my interview. It you are lover of fantasy like me. I invite you to read Jack Ranis and the Book of the Labi. There are sample chapters available on both the Kindle and Nook markets. For you writers, keep on writing, even when it seems hard. For you readers, thank you for continuing to read and support blogs like this one.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Today I'm hosting a Goddess Fish virtual book tour stop for romance author Cherie Marks. This is Cherie's third stop and her tour goes through Oct 14.

Cherie is giving away (2) $10 gift cards to The Wild Rose Press and one $10 gift card to Amazon.com to randomly drawn commenters during her virtual book tour. See below for details.

Welcome, Cherie, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
I believe the world would be a better place if we could all enjoy a happily-ever-after through a romance story every once in a while. In preparation for that day, I’ve been busy writing romance stories since I was a teenager. But it took a breast cancer diagnosis to jumpstart my motivation to get published. Now, I’m one year cancer free and still motivated.

While the world continues to spin, I make time to bring to life the characters meandering around in my brain and hope to bring a happily-ever-after to readers for years to come.

Please tell us about your current release, Into the Fire.
What happens behind the scenes during those reality game shows? Maybe the contestants have a history. Maybe they have an ulterior motive for being there. Maybe they fall in love. These are some questions that guided me while writing my short story Into the Fire published with The Wild Rose Press. It’s a fun, fast-paced love story in the midst of a televised cooking competition.

What inspired you to write this book?
I watch way too much TV—specifically reality competition shows. After reading the blog ‘Cook to Bang,’ I called on my extensive chef-y knowledge from watching shows like Top Chef and Iron Chef America to write about a heartsick hero who uses food to win the heart of the heroine.

What exciting story are you working on next?
Currently, I’ve got a couple in different stages of development. I’m working on another reality show competition story. This time set in the world of cake creation. And I can’t seem to write fast enough on my current wip about an awesome heroine who comes back to her hometown with a different look and a different attitude.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
My step-father loved to collect antiques like old-fashioned typewriters. He brought one home, and I couldn’t get enough of the click of the keys and the bell and slide of the return. My first foray into writing were mini-plays about talking fruits—Nanner Dave and the Fruit Bunch (or something like that). My family, friends, and teachers encouraged me along the way. Eventually I moved on from fruits to orphan stories, fantasy, and the favorite I returned to again and again—romance.

Life has never slowed down to allow me to wait for a muse, so I finally had to kick my own butt into the chair and write down all my ideas one word at a time.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
I do have a busy day job that occupies much of my time. On top of that, I’m a wife, mother, daughter, and sister, and start the mother’s second shift when I get home. This includes dinner, homework, baths, brushing of teeth, and a million other little tasks that never end. While fixing dinner, I sneak in some social networking, blogging, and other tasks like emailing, organizing, and researching. After everyone is fed, educated, and settled in at night, I set aside about an hour for writing. If all goes well, I get about thirty minutes in the morning too. It’s not ideal, but I wouldn’t trade any of the current moments of my life for anything.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I write best with sour snacks. I love chocolate, but sour gummi worms or sour jellybeans seem to inspire my writing like nothing else.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you believe an elephant washer? No, good because that was my sister. I’ve always told people I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, and I’ve always been fortunate enough to have family support.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
For anyone out there wanting to write and publish, all I can say is if you never try, you’re guaranteed to fail, but instead immerse yourself in the industry. Take writing courses—online or at local facilities, read industry blogs, check-out writer blogs, involve yourself in social media—Twitter, Facebook, blogging, Goodreads. Start now and stick with it no matter the obstacles because you only get one lifetime to live your dreams.

I love to hear from readers, writers, and in-betweeners, so please e-mail me at authorcheriemarks@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter or catch me on Facebook. Hop over to my website or have a laugh and maybe get a little enlightenment at my blog.

Thanks for being on my blog today, Cherie!

Readers, Cherie is giving away (2) $10 gift cards to The Wild Rose Press and one $10 gift card to Amazon.com to randomly drawn commenters during her virtual book tour. You can follow the tour and comment on any stop. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning!

Please tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born in Santa Cruz, California to a family that migrated west to San Francisco in 1849.

My mother named me Michael, after author and actress Blanche Oelrichs, who wrote under the name of Michael Strange. After months of saying, “Yes, she’s a girl. Yes, her name is Michael,” my mother finally caved and I became “Michele.” My maternal grandmother belonged to a writing club in San Francisco in the early part of the 20th century and wrote poems and jingles—one of which won her a travel trailer during the Depression.

I’ve lived in San Francisco, the Bay Area, the Central Valley, the Sierra, Southern California and the North Coast, spent time as a reporter and editor for daily papers in California, and managed large non-profit agencies.

Welcome back to Reviews and Interviews, Michele. Please tell us about your newest release.
My newest release is actually the first book I wrote. “Edited for Death” is a mystery from a different angle. The protagonist, Amy Hobbes, isn’t interested in solving any murders, it’s all she can do to keep her life in order and put out a daily newspaper. Of course, newspapers cover deaths, and the reporters and editors who deal with stories about deaths—whether natural or homicide—begin to wonder about how the body came to be.

There’s always chat about a murder in the newsroom, and a lot of speculation. In “Edited” Amy’s cops reporter, Clarice, is in the forefront and pushes for more coverage of what Amy sees as a routine murder.

While looking into the life of a famous California Senator who recently died—of natural causes—Amy’s quest suddenly meshes with Clarice’s interest in a “routine” murder and they’re off on a chase that leads to the discovery of a piece of art that was stolen by the Nazis in WWII and ended up in a small Gold Rush town.

What’s the next writing project?
The next project is the second in the vampire romance series, “SNAP” and follows Maximilla Gwenoch as she puts together a celebrity magazine covering the growing glitterati population of Eastern Europe. And, of course, her involvement with the mesmerizing vampire, Jean Louis.

I’ll probably also be working on the next Amy Hobbes mystery at the same time, with Clarice wanting to investigate the death a couple of farm workers whose bodies are found in a vineyard. Things in the wine industry are not what they seem, including tons of grapes sold as premium varietals.

What is your biggest challenge when writing a new book? (or the biggest challenge with this book)
Making it all hang together. Margaret Mitchell wrote the last chapter of “Gone with the Wind” first. I’m a pantser (write from the seat of my pants rather than outline) so, like Mitchell, I know where I want to end up. I wouldn’t ever have the courage to write the last chapter first, though.

Writing like this can be a rocky road, because the characters develop strong personalities and sometimes behave in ways that I didn’t anticipate. Weaving these new directions or behaviors into the main fabric of the story can be tricky. I have a couple of alpha readers who bring me up short with a well-placed “Huh?” on occasion.

If your novels require research – please talk about the process. Do you do the research first and then write, while you’re writing, after the novel is complete and you need to fill in the gaps?
Hummm, a little of all three, I think. In “Edited”, several scenes take place in World War II. I’ve been to Germany, so the place descriptions were fairly easy, and I’ve read about the art thefts and seen the film “The Rape of Europa”. I was also married to a Holocaust survivor so the scenes of one of the characters trying to track down his family are based on facts. I had the trusty “XXX” in places (meaning “look this up”) and one of those forays lead me to the fact that GI’s killed German SS guards who had surrendered during the liberation of Dachau. That act gave me the motive for one of the main characters to change from a slacker to a passionate politician.

In “SNAP” I’m writing in a different genre, and one that I don’t read much. I read (and am still reading) fantasy and paranormal books and looking for the pacing and plot development. I also did a fair amount of online research on blood substitutes and Vlad the Impaler.

I do most of my basic research (does this make sense, could this have really happened) as I’m plotting the book in my head. Much of the information in the Amy Hobbes series is pulled directly from my career as a newspaper editor and there’ll be a real murder that we covered in every book.

What’s your writing space like? Do you have a particular spot to write where the muse is more active? Please tell us about it.
Oh, you don’t want to know! I write in my spare room/office/storage space. I have a computer desk piled high with stuff...paid bills, tax information, newspaper clippings that I’ll “do something with” some day, sticky notes with phone numbers, passwords, authors who I want to read, grocery lists. On the floor is an open dictionary. The windowsill has family pictures, I’ve pinned up some pages from a Henri Cartier-Bresson calendar, and some icons from the British Museum calendar—both from a few years ago. One of my favorite things is my framed certificate as a Charter Member of the San Jose Chapter of NOW from July 1972. I’m also sharing the space with a highchair and stroller (in case a grandchild pops out) and a LOT of Christmas wrapping paper that I need to do something with.

I try to walk about 30 minutes every morning and that’s when I do some plotting or think through some thicket of words I’ve written myself into. But mostly the muse shows up when I make myself sit down and write. I read a few pages of what I last wrote to find the scene, and just start writing.

What authors do you enjoy reading within or outside of your genre?
I read two or three books a week and I read almost everything. In the mystery genre, I love the English. Elizabeth George, P.D. James, Martha Grimes, Ruth Rendell. The English in general. Lady Antonia Fraser (although not her mysteries under a pseudonym) Doris Lessing. I read history, biography, some bestsellers (Cutting for Stone, The Help, The Kite Runner ilk), not Patterson or Gresham, although I won’t miss a Michael Connelly, Daniel Silva or Robert Crais.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers today?
Writing is a strangely solitary existence; your characters and setting are almost more real than reality. That part is fun and stimulating.
But once a book is completed and the marketing begins—not so fun. It’s like trying to sell your children when the world is overpopulated.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Today's guest is just starting a week-long virtual book with Goddess Fish Promotions for her newest novel, The Norse King's Daughter. Please welcome New York Times bestselling author Sandra Hill.

Sandra is giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift card at the end of her tour to a lucky commentor. Details are below.

Bio:
Sandra Hill is the NYT bestselling author of more than thirty romantic humor novels. Whether they be contemporary, historical, or time-travel, whether they be Vikings, Cajuns, Navy SEALs, or Saxon knights, the underlying theme in all her books is humor and sizzle.

Welcome, Sandra, please tell us about your current release, The Norse King's Daughter.
Princess Drifa is the last of the five Viking princesses, each of which has an unusual talent for her time, whether it be building, cooking, or fighting. With Drifa, it is flowers, all kinds of flowers. She long ago gave up on marriage, especially after her short-lived betrothal to that loathsome lout Sidroc of Vikstead that ended with her hitting him over the head with a pottery jug. But wait, she’s in Byzantium to study the imperial gardens and she’s trouble, having been kidnapped by an overzealous Arab prince, and the only one who can help her is…guess who?

Sidroc has earned his fortune in the Byzantine Emperor’s Varangian Guard, happy to have escaped the lackwit woman who hit him over the head with a pottery jug and left him for dead. Why should he help her now? She has nothing to offer him that would warrant his putting his life on the line for her. Except…

What inspired you to write this book?
There was, of course, a need to complete this loosely linked series (books can stand alone and be read out of order). But I was also intrigued by the possibilities of a Viking woman in ancient Byzantium…talk about colorful backdrops! But more than that, I like to write books about second chances. And secret babies. And sex. And all of these mixed together with my trademark humor.

What exciting story are you working on next?
I have a new series starting next May…the Deadly Angels series, beginning with KISS OF PRIDE, followed by KISS OF AWAKENING in October, 2012; and KISS OF SURRENDER in March, 2013. These are the most outrageous characters I’ve ever come up with…Viking vampire angels, who reside in Transylvania, but not Transylvania, Romania. Nope, these “vangels” call Transylvania, Pennsylvania their home.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I have always been a writer. From a young age, I was a person who liked writing essays and term papers in school. I served on high school newspapers and went on to study journalism in college, after which I worked for various newspapers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But I was also an avid reader from a young age, especially of romantic fiction. Eventually, my love of writing led to writing in the genre in which I love to read. Furthermore, since I can trace my paternal family tree all the way back to the tenth century and the Viking Rollo, first Duke of Normandy (called Norsemandy in those days), it made sense that my first book involved Vikings.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?
Yes, I write full-time. My most creative time is in the mornings, and I’m an early riser. Afternoons, and sometimes evening, I spend on writing-related work. Promotion, research, email, that kind of thing.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I am known for writing humor. Often, I will go back over a first draft with the specific intent of beefing up the humor. And I am always open to new ideas for humor. You wouldn’t believe some of the places I find it. For example, in my Viking Navy SEAL books, that invention of Geek’s that led to www.penileglove.com, well, that came from an idea my hair stylist had one day when showing me her warm wax hand massage machine. And the Viking women making homemade condoms in my first novel? Well, have you ever heard of the condom museum in Canada? I kid you not!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I can’t really say, except I knew that I wanted to be an independent career woman. Even when I married and had children, I expected that I would continue working, by choice.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I love to hear from readers. Please visit my website at www.sandrahill.net. As always, I wish everyone smiles in their reading.

Thanks for being here today, Sandra. Happy touring!

Readers, Sandra is giving away a $25 Amazon.com gift card at the end of her tour to a lucky commentor. So leave a comment here and at her other tour stops this week. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning.

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About Me

I'm a NH native and love New England. I love writing about the region, exploring it on foot, on my bicycle, and in my car. There are so many small communities and fun and interesting people in this area, that I could be here a lifetime and not do all it is I want to do. :)

I'm a moderator at The Writer's Chatroom that hosts live chats with guest authors on Sunday nights 7-9PM EST. Join the e-mail list to get notifications of upcoming guests, then stop in and join the conversation!